SCHOOL BOOKS

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 48, 24 February 1917, Page 9

SCHOOL BOOKS

TO THIS EDITOR. . ]■'■'' Sir, —I am glad to find, someone taking up this matter. Often I have wished that someone would, do so. May I also refer to several points ? Firstly, the question of the Education Board conducting a business for the sale of school requisites. In our suburb, the children are sent to a local store for writing pads. One much in evidence costs 4d, is about 9in by'7in : (l fancy, not having one at hand to measure), as compared with the ordinary pad,. lOin by Bin, and has about 30 pages." As compar. Ed with pads I can buy in town, in actual writing space it is wprth 2d. Pen nibs are sold about two for a penny, though at times the children have got six for a penny from their teacher. If there was a Departmental store we parents might save a considerable sum per year on writing materials only.

Secondly, as to the number of books used. "Old Girl/ in her communication to The Post, speaks of her "little sister" as having "been supplied with eight exercise books, one writing pad, and one small notebook. 1' I must confess that my children haven't reached eight exercise books in . one fortnight,.-but they certainly buy more than seems to me necessary. Not one of my \ children bring home their school bags because of their weight, and though periodically one thing or another is stolen at-school I cannot- insist on their carrying them home, because of the burden on the little arms. What earthly need is there for so many, beyond the fad of the teacher! Whilst dealing, with 'exercise books and pads,. I have often been angered on account of the terrible . waste.V Recently this has not been so marked. Some of the teachers are much more reasonable, and are preaching economy to the scholars, though not all of them do so; but in the. .past only one side of the pad was used, though the paper was thick and ruled on. both sides'. I have two pads beside me, used- in Standard 11. One has. a margin over an inch, which leaves one-eighth .of the sheet unused, whilst the other —"—; well, Sir, I am using. it up to write letters on to intimate friends. I can rescue every page, there is so little on it. Yet the pad cost me 9d. ,

Thirdly, " tho seemingly reckless and lavish use of reading books, and the haphazard way of getting them. I have two children in Standards 11. and 111. The elder.had a certain book, which we hoped would do the younger in the new year. But no. "Teacher says we're going to use them again this year." So No. 2 bought one also, at a cost of Is lOd. A day or two after, No.. 1 comes and demands a Standard 111. of the same book,' and-her good and practically new book had to.be sold for 9d to another child, and we were fortunate in being able to sell it! The study books have a most unfortunately short Hfe. ... Our little ones get their books well covered to keep them nice in the .hope of selling them at the year's end, but it almost invariably happens that a new book is taken up next year, and as a consequence there is. a perfect library of good, sound, but quite useless, books in the house. I often wish as I see them I had their original cost! Seeing that the scholars are supplied with the Journal— a most admirable feature, in my opinion —surely they could be also supplied either free or at a much less cost than at present, with such requisites as do not pass from child to child—viz., pencils, pens, pads, and writing books. I <lo trust that some amendment will soon result. It would be one little straw off the heavy load.—l am, etc., ANOTHER WORRIED ONE.